Think Pink: A Preview of the First-Ever Barbie Dream Fest -

Physically, much of the country is battling winter weather, but mentally, Barbie superfans are already in sunny Florida basking in the glow of the first-ever Barbie Dream Fest.

Indeed, the countdown is on for the Fort Lauderdale-based event, to be hosted March 27-29 at the Broward County Convention Center. The festival, billed as the “ultimate” Barbie fan event for fans of all ages, was dreamed up by Mattel licensee Mischief Management, a women-owned event agency that has received the “input and support” of the brand throughout the planning and development of the three-day experience.

For Melissa Anelli, founder and ceo at Mischief Management, Barbie Dream Fest is all about allowing fans to take a deep dive into the Barbie brand and everything that the doll stands for. Rather than executing a limited pop-up experience, attendees will “actually have time to explore, celebrate and dig deep into this incredibly iconic and important brand,” she says.

While on-site, festivalgoers can expect Barbie collector showcases, panels with inspiring women from a variety of fields, themed play zones, exclusive programming with creators and experts, meetups, hands-on workshops, and curated exhibits, among a range of touchpoints.

For a better idea of what’s in store, we asked Anelli for a sneak preview of how the inaugural fan fest will play out.

Real-Life Role Models

All are welcome at Barbie Dream Fest, Anelli says, but given the makeup of the doll’s fan base, which skews heavily female, the event is geared more toward girls and women. To that end, a cohort of inspiring female professionals from the realms of sports, entertainment, STEM, music and beyond will take the stage at the event. Among them: WNBA All-Star Angel Reese, author and historian Robin Gerber, and Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad.

“We know that Barbie is an icon and a legend for women, so that’s where we’re going,” she says. “It’s sort of like a ‘dream yourself into reality with Barbie’ space, and not just ‘let’s celebrate the awesomeness of Barbie.’ It’s also bringing the thematic things that she stands for in reality.”

The Marketplace

A top objective is to bring iconic Barbie experiences to life for fans, whether it’s skating around her disco roller rink or hanging out in a larger-than-life version of her DreamHouse (both are options at the festival). According to Anelli, Mischief Management is building out a number of activations and exhibits, while other licensees will deliver their own experiences on-site. The event footprint will feature 100,000 square feet of exhibit space.

A few of the touchpoints currently on the Dream Fest agenda: a Glam Bar for hair styling, an interactive DreamHouse, an ’80s-themed roller rink, morning yoga sessions, a Barbie-inspired fashion show, a Beyond the Stars space exhibit and a crowd-sourced art installation.

What’s more, charitable support will be a component of the event, aligning with the Barbie brand’s long history of empowering girls. “We’re working with a variety of partners to always make sure to keep Barbie’s advocacy-focused mission front and center,” says Anelli.

Collectors Corner

While the forthcoming fest is the first event of its kind for Mattel and Mischief Management, the National Barbie Doll Collectors Convention has been going strong since 1980, and attended by a robust global community of Barbie collectors who celebrate the brand through exclusive dolls, panels, fashion shows, auctions and exhibits.

Building on that concept, Barbie Dream Fest will include a Collectors Corner where sellers can conduct their business. “We’re offering lower-cost tables for members of the community to come and just sell their Barbies the way that they do it at other conventions,” she says.

A ‘Healthy’ Mix of Programming

Barbie Dream Fest 2026 is what Mischief Management hopes is just the start of a long-lived property, with the organization planning to produce similar events in the future. The goal will be to honor Barbie’s history and future by offering a “healthy mix” of experiences, and focusing on one aspect of the universe at each event, while maintaining the core of what Barbie represents.

“With each of these [events], we will probably do more of a laser-focus on one aspect, but with a grounding that’s backed up by panels with designers and creators, behind-the-scenes info about how Barbie gets made, and a lot of other exciting experiences that we’re working on,” Anelli says.

The Impact

The success of Barbie Dream Fest will, of course, be determined with some hard data, like attendance numbers. But Anelli says the team is more interested in the softer KPIs, and delivering an event “that lives up to the Barbie name of fun, inclusivity, diversity, and being informative and playful,” adding that the event should be “a place that somebody wants to come back to.”

Looking ahead to future Dream Fest events, Anelli explains that the programming may shift, but the objective will always be “to make sure that you can celebrate what it means to be like Barbie in the world, but also dream bigger with her.”

Image credit: Mattel

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